The SitePoint Forums have moved.

You can now find them here.
This forum is now closed to new posts, but you can browse existing content.
You can find out more information about the move and how to open a new account (if necessary) here.
If you get stuck you can get support by emailing forums@sitepoint.com

If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

I switch between vi and gEdit (Gnome's default editor). Both have more functionality than I even use. I keep ditching vi when working with browsers because switching from terminal to GUI for testing sucked (I could have dl'd gVim but oh well, I didn't), but for perl I'm doing it all in vi (vim).<snip>

You're running Vi in a console? Why not in an Xterm? Then, it's simply alt-tab like any other X application. Or, [dramatic pause] you could upgrade to Emacs.

You don't need to alt tab to minimize an X Application. If you use Windows then just hitting the Windows key minimizes. Little known fact there...In fact I just learned that alt tab works about 2 months ago.

You're running Vi in a console? Why not in an Xterm? Then, it's simply alt-tab like any other X application. Or, [dramatic pause] you could upgrade to Emacs.

cheers,

gary

YES! Jamesiscus and now you ( as well as my return )! Sitepoint is becoming much stronger, Diablo's minions weaken.

Hm, it's pretty handy to have in a console, though for straight up text editing, I don't see how emacs is an upgrade. I know it has dozens and dozens of plugins and useful utilities for programming and it's built/for Lisp ( well, it's built to handle anything really.. its like a damn OS ), but still...

1. Adding a close curly bracket auto de-indents, but it also sometimes deletes the next carriage return. Often this means that the next line ends up on the same line as the close curly.
2. Auto-completion of typed text sounds cool, but is for all practical purposes worthless for programming. It changes the case of what you’re typing even if you don’t choose any of the auto-complete guesses.

Thanks. I had joined a few years ago, but didn't spend much time here. Now, I can't remember my old user name, so started over.

You don't need to alt tab to minimize an X Application. If you use Windows then just hitting the Windows key minimizes.

Am unable to replicate your windows key trick. I am not minimizing, anyway. I tile the various apps on the desktop and use alt-tab to rotate through them. I never ever run maximized.

Little known fact there...In fact I just learned that alt tab works about 2 months ago.

Wow! That's basic. Have you been using the mouse and clicking on the task bar? Every time you lift your hands from the keyboard, you harm productivity.

Originally Posted by SoulScratch

<snip>

Hm, it's pretty handy to have in a console,

If you're not running X-window for some reason (e.g. it's a server or you're doing some serious admin thingies), ok. Otherwise, run in a terminal emulator like xterm.

though for straight up text editing, I don't see how emacs is an upgrade. I know it has dozens and dozens of plugins and useful utilities for programming and it's built/for Lisp ( well, it's built to handle anything really.. its like a damn OS ), but still...

That was just a small prodding in the Great Editor Religious War between Vi users and the more highly evolved Emacs users.

No, I just always used the windows key to minimize. If it froze I would Ctrl + alt + delete. And i am talking about applications that take up the whole screen, like an online game. I doubt 2 seconds worth of clicking can harm productivity.

Dunno, when I started with Mandrake I first started using the console for certain things and the Xwindows for other things... and now they're ingrained stupid habits.

I mean, I point and click to open files in my text editor and to copy music from a disc (Sound Juicer), but I go into the terminal to move, copy, or delete files and folders. Which is kinda dumb. Oh well.

When I first realised switching between console and x for HTML wasn't working I did try it in the fake terminal but it just wasn't as handy as gEdit. With Perl I don't need to ever go to X so it didn't matter.

Re Emacs seriously I'm trying to learn Perl and Javascript and while Lisp sounds pretty cool I'm seriously not going to learn what's practically an OS just for text editing. I duzzn need teh kitchen sinks, do I look like a power user?
Incidentally I do keep everything maximised. My monitor is 17" wide. I'm using every pixel of it (except when using Gimp, I never maximise that image window).

Only reason to pick one side of the Great Flame War Between the Kitchen Sinkers and Those Who Wanted A Text Editor is because you pick one and get comfortable with it, and don't feel like starting over to learn another one (esp when both have bazillions of features you never touch). If Emacs would vaccum and do my dishes though I'd consider it. I suppose that can't be too far away now : )